The present invention relates to an air tweezer and, more particularly, to an air tweezer that is suitable when an operation is performed in which a slider with a magnetic head used for a hard disk drive is sucked to be attached to a head suspension.
A slider with a magnetic head is fixed to a head suspension with an adhesive. However, since it is not easy to set the slider directly at a predetermined position of the head suspension, a method is used in which the slider is bonded to the predetermined position of the head suspension using a bonding jig. More specifically, a jig is used which has a mechanism having a position for mounting the slider and is capable of holding the head suspension and causing the slider bonding position of the head suspension to coincide with the position for mounting the slider.
The operation using this jig consists of a process in which the slider is first positioned at the slider mounting position of the jig. The slider is bonded by using the aforementioned mechanism to the head suspension to which an adhesive is applied. The slider is positioned at the slider mounting position of the jig by the sucking of an air tweezer. This operation is performed under a microscope because the slider is very small. Therefore, the air tweezer is required to be designed considering the operation under a microscope.
A magnetic head is used for a hard disk drive; a GMR (Giant Magneto Resistive) head has been used in recent years. The GMR head is a head capable of dramatically increasing magnetic recording density as compared with a conventional MR (Magneto Resistive) head. The size of the slider incorporating the GMR head has decreased; the size has transferred from about 2 mmxc3x971.5 mm called a nano slider size to about 1.3 mmxc3x971 mm called a pico slider size. Also, a slider with a size of 1 mmxc3x970.5 mm, which is called a femto slider, has been studied for the future.
The GMR head is more sensitive to electro-static discharge (ESD) than the MR head. If a slider is sucked by an air tweezer and is brought into contact with the suspension, ESD occurs, by which the GMR head may be damaged.
However, the conventional air tweezer has not been sufficient to devise countermeasures against ESD as well as to suck an article with a very small size, such as a pico slider or a femto slider.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air tweezer capable of efficiently performing an operation in which an article with a very small size, such as a pico slider or a femto slider, is sucked and set at a predetermined position of a suspension. Another object of the present invention is to provide an air tweezer having countermeasures against ESD.
The present invention provides an air tweezer comprising a tweezer body to be gripped during operation; a metal tube attached to the tweezer body, the metal tube having a sucking passage; and a sucking pad attached to the distal part of the metal tube, the sucking pad having an aperture communicating with the sucking passage, the air tweezer sucking an article by operating a suction force at the sucking passage of the metal tube and by contacting the sucking pad with the article, wherein the sucking pad is formed of an elastic material, the elastic material including a conductive route. The air tweezer in accordance with the present invention can be configured so that the sucking pad and the metal tube are electrically connected to one another, and the metal tube is grounded. Thereby, a slider can be sucked reliably, and electrostatic destruction of a magnetic head can be prevented because electrical ground can be provided through the sucking pad and the metal tube even if static electricity is generated. An elastic material including the conductive route, for example, rubber in which C (carbon) powder of an amount enough to form the conductive route is dispersed, can be used. Further, the sucking pad preferably has a cross-sectional area decreasing toward a sucking face.
Also, the present invention provides an air tweezer comprising a tweezer body to be gripped during operation; a tube assembly attached to the tweezer body, the tube assembly having a sucking passage; and a sucking pad attached to the distal part of the tube assembly, the sucking pad having an aperture communicating with the sucking passage, the air tweezer sucking an article by operating a suction force at the sucking passage of the tube assembly and by contacting the sucking pad with the article, wherein the tube assembly comprises an outer tube extending over almost the overall length of the tube assembly; and an inner tube set on the distal part side in the outer tube, the outer diameter of the inner tube being smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube, whereby the sucking pad is held between the outer tube and the inner tube.
According to this air tweezer, the sucking pad is held between the outer tube and the inner tube. That is, the sucking pad is in contact with both of the outer tube and the inner tube. Therefore, if the aforementioned elastic material including the conductive route is used as the sucking pad, the contact area can be increased as compared with the case where the sucking pad is in contact with either the outer tube or the inner tube, i.e., electrical resistance can be decreased, which is effective in taking countermeasures against ESD.
In the air tweezer in accordance with the present invention, a stopper tube for inhibiting axial movement of the inner tube is fitted in the outer tube and fixed thereto, and the stopper tube abuts on the inner tube, whereby axial movement of the inner tube can be inhibited, and a conductive route can be formed by the stopper tube and the inner tube.
Also, in the above-described air tweezer in accordance with the present invention, the sucking pad has conductivity, and the sucking pad is held between the outer tube and the inner tube, whereby a conductive route is formed between the sucking pad and the outer tube and between the sucking pad and the inner tube.
Further, the present invention provides an air tweezer comprising a tweezer body to be gripped during operation; a metal tube attached to the tweezer body, the metal tube having a sucking passage; and a sucking pad attached to the distal part of the metal tube, the sucking pad having an aperture communicating with the sucking passage, the air tweezer sucking an article by operating a suction force at the sucking passage of the metal tube and by contacting the sucking pad with the article, wherein the tweezer body has a bracket, the bracket being electrically connected to the metal tube, and the bracket being connected to a ground circuit.
In the air tweezer in accordance with the present invention, the bracket preferably supports the metal tube. Also, the metal tube is preferably bent at a predetermined position, and the metal tube is preferably supported by the bracket toward the bent direction of the metal tube.
Further, the present invention provides a sucking pad for sucking an article by operating a suction force at the article, comprising a matrix phase formed of an elastic material; and a conductive material phase forming a conductive route at the matrix phase. In this sucking pad, the matrix phase is preferably formed of a rubber material, and the conductive material phase is preferably formed of carbon powder.
As described above, according to the air tweezer in accordance with the present invention, an operation in which a very small article, such as a pico slider or a femto slider, is sucked and set at a predetermined position of a suspension can be performed efficiently. Also, according to the present invention, an air tweezer having countermeasures against ESD can be provided.